Erica Vetsch here:
I'm throwing confetti. Lots of confetti! (Because I don't have to vacuum up cyber-confetti.)
Just before Thanksgiving, I finished the manuscript for The Accidental Earl, a Regency romance that releases a year from now. That seems like a long way in the future, but it will be here before I know it.
Technically, the manuscript isn't due until 12/1/18, so I have almost a week before I need to hit 'send.'
During that week, I will be done throwing confetti about the place and will settle in to the final read-through of the manuscript.
Some authors write a fast-draft, knocking out a ton of words in just a few weeks, and then spending the rest of the time until the book is due editing and polishing and filling out the story.
Others, like me, tend to write fairly clean copy at a steady pace. It's clean because I edit what I wrote the day before and then continue with new words. Also, and this is just my method, at somewhere between the one-half and two-thirds mark, I go back to the beginning and edit everything, making the changes I need to now that I know the characters and the story better.
So what sorts of things will I be looking for during this final read-through?
I have a small checklist:
1. Inconsistencies. Does the hero's middle name change halfway through the story? Does the heroine have the same color eyes from the first chapter to the last?
2. Fact Check. Anything I'm not sure of, I double-check. Regency readers are particularly sharp on the period details, and they LOVE sinking into a story that hits the right historical notes.
3. Finish filling out my style sheet. I keep a style sheet as I write, listing characters with descriptions, a timeline, important historical dates, etc. Sometimes I write so quickly that I don't get everything listed in the style sheet, so as I read, this is my chance to complete what's missing. I turn in the style sheet with the manuscript to aid the editor in fact-checking and searching for inconsistencies.
With the manuscript sitting at just under 100,000 words, I will need to edit at least 20,000 per day to finish by Friday. But the more I can read in one sitting, the better it is for staying in the flow of the story and being able to pick out things that are off. I usually do my final read-through in 2-3 days.
And when it's done, and I get to send it in to my fabulous new editor at Kregel, I will throw a bit more confetti!
What is your procedure when you type THE END on a manuscript?
Erica, we have similar styles... and it works for me, too. I copied mine from Margaret Daley when she wrote about it years ago and it's been my go-to ever since. To do steady edits each day, then major read-through and edits about every 100 pages... And that way it's not as daunting at the end!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your finish! GOOD FOR YOU! That always feels so stinkin' good, doesn't it????
Happy dancing!
I don't remember where I got this method from...but if Margaret Daley uses it...and Ruthy, too, it must be a good one! :)
DeleteThanks for the congrats! Now I'm off to plan some mistletoe mischief for Seekerville for December! Stay tuned! :)
Whoop! I was in your position the end of October! My writing/editing style is the same as yours. I write. The next day I revise those words and add on. About two-thirds of the way through, I go back and read/revise so I can finish the end of the book knowing I caught the loose threads, kept to a proper timeline or make the changes were my plot might have deviated from my outline. It makes your copy so much cleaner and easier to give the final revisions/polish. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteRose, our methods sound eerily similar! :)
DeleteCongrats on hitting your deadline at the end of October!
Since I am not at the stage of having deadlines yet, I am thinking of revising my method to yours as I begin any new ones. With the three I have written "The End" I keep working on rewrites and as I learn or develop a new skill. I start back at the beginning and work on it. Two of the stories are on the 7th draft and will soon be starting the 8th.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I forget where I am in the story when I am writing the first draft. I think this will help refresh my mind on the story especially since I am writing more than one at the same time.
I joined a small critique group last spring. but they are all inactive. I submitted a third chapter last May and no one has commented on it and no one has submitted anything. So for now it is just me. That's okay. I am continuing to write and revise and learn. So far this month in Nano which includes the revisions and polishing as well as work on new stories I've written almost 64K.
I usually set a modest goal of writing 30k a month. and usually go far above that goal. Because I love Christmas and there is so much going on for that month, I've decided to lower my goal to 15K. That way I can have the best of both worlds. I still get to write but also enjoy the baking and other joys of the Christmas season.
Thank you so much for giving me the idea of a better way to write.
Like Wilani, I'm not at a stage for having deadlines, so I don't have a method yet. I've really only done quick writes, like NaNo so no time to go back and edit--just write, write, write!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try adopting this method. It seems to work well for so many people. Thanks...and congrats on another 'The End'!
Glynis! Thank you! It feels good to write The End! And yet, I felt a little sad, because I was going to miss my characters.
DeleteOne of the beautiful things about writing fiction is that you get to chose the methods that work for you and chuck the rest, and it doesn't cost anything to try a new method. If it works, goldmine! If not, dumpster it and move on. :)
Great post, Erica, and isn't it a good feeling to come in UNDER deadline?
ReplyDeleteI do a final read and check for, well, everything. I do a lot of cutting and pasting, inserting scenes after the first, second or even third draft, so my main goal is to look for consistency. But I've also been tripped up by eye color, sigh.
Got ready to submit my second novel to Pelican and found out their internal author submission system doesn't work, at least not for me. Found another way around it, with the help of my publisher, and will submit this week. "Technology is your friend. Technology is your friend. Technology is your friend..."
Kathy Bailey
It does feel good to come in under deadline. I've not missed one yet, PTL, though I've been polishing right up until the last minute. :)
DeleteI love tech when it works...
Of course meeting a deadline just means more stuff to do as the next project rolls in, but would we have it any other way?
ReplyDeleteNope, I would not trade this crazy writer life! :)
DeleteI'm one of those who enjoys fast drafting. I confess, though, this time around, there are a number of changes I'm going through and rewriting in my current WIP. I believe it will make the story stronger in the end. Once I'm done with the rewrite, i'm going to read the entire thing and see if it flows. If not, it'll be back to making the changes that need making. Then, I'll revise, edit, and polish and re-read again before I send to beta readers. I'm still refining my "method," for taking a book from beginning on a blank page one to the final "The End."
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Erica!!
Jeanne, I love that every writer gets to chose what works for her/him. And there's no wrong way to do it if it works for you. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to truly throw off my internal editor and just write a free-flowing, no-holds-barred fast draft and spill the story onto the page. Maybe I could get to the essence of the story quicker? Who knows! :)
DeleteCongratulations, Erica! Reaching the end always feels so good.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I do a final read-thru before sending the manuscript off. I look for wording that trips me up, inconsistencies, making sure things aren't left out...
Throwing more confetti your way. you deserve to celebrate.
:) Thanks, Mindy!
DeleteI need the final read-through because I tend to fall in love with words and repeat them a ridiculous amount of times...and way too close together! :)
Congratulations! Reaching The End is a great feeling, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI follow the same pattern you do. I edit each day's work before I begin writing the next morning. I also stop and go back to read through the entire story so far at about the 1/3 and 2/3 mark. That helps to keep my characters consistent and allows me to foreshadow any new (and unplanned) plot developments.
My final read-through is super fast, though. I usually do a 90-100K book in a day or two. I want to keep myself immersed in the story for that last look, so it's a marathon.
I'm looking forward to reading The Reluctant Earl next year!
It seems I am not alone in my methods! :) I love getting to go back in and lay the foundations for a future plot development during the final read-through. It makes me feel so smart! :)
DeleteMy process is similar, except on a 90K ms, I build in 30-60 days for that final edit. Because apparently I don't write as clean as I'd like, and I rarely type The End 60 days out, and then I find myself with oh... about 2 days to edit. Gulp! lol
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I can push through about 10K in edits daily, but it usually goes faster at the end. So, I do like to have 10-15 working days to do that, with all the other duties thrown in. :)
Congrats on typing THE END!
Pam, I wouldn't mind having a couple more weeks to edit this baby, but I'll take what I can get. I have never typed THE END 60 days out from a deadline! That is amazing!
DeleteErica, congratulations!! I love to go to a coffee shop to do a final read-through. For some reason I focus better there! Plus, no interruptions. :)
ReplyDeleteMissy, I do most of my writing in a coffee shop. I focus better and earbuds are my friend!
DeleteI brought another bucket of confetti for you, my friend!!! Weeee!!! 🎊🎉✨
ReplyDeleteSweet, let's toss this stuff around! Wheee!
DeleteYay, YOU! That's such an accomplishment, no matter how many books you have under your belt. I don't have a system yet, but I've been fast drafting during NaNoWriMo this month. I'm going to make it to the finish line this year...my first. :)
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of editing what you did before, then doing a major read after 100 pages. That sounds like a good way to do it. While fast drafting is fun, there is so much that has to be fixed when I'm through. It's daunting, to say the least.
Congrats on your NaNo success! That's a huge commitment and accomplishment. Throwing some of Beth's confetti your way, too!
DeleteCongratulations Erica. I can't comment as an author but I certainly know the relief of finishing a review and finally posting it. Before I reach that final step, I tend to read and re-read, change tenses, add different adjectives or adverbs and other edits because my ocd kicks in. I admire all of you who are able to type The End and I thank you!
ReplyDeleteConnie, writing is writing! We write, we edit, we improve, and everyone has their own style and methods. You rock! :)
DeleteHa! I’m throwing confetti because I’m over-the-moon excited at the idea of reading a Regency by you....even if the book isn’t out for a year!
ReplyDeleteHey, Kav! Thanks for celebrating with me! I am excited to be writing in the Regency era. It's been a challenge and a joy!
DeleteCongratulations, Erica. It is interesting to read how you and the others who commented do the writing and editing. Maybe that is how I should do it. I wrote the whole draft of my book, but have not done anything more with it because I feel like I don't know where to start. But if I try to edit as I go along, I never finish. So I have to find something that works better.
ReplyDeleteEditing can be a daunting task. Perhaps you could take it in stages. Edit one chapter at a time. Or swap crits with someone a chapter at a time, so you get another pair of eyes on what you write. I like to edit as I go, but only what I wrote the day before. I don't go back to the beginning until I'm at least 1/2 done, or I might never get back to writing new words!
DeleteErica, congrats on your completed story!!!
ReplyDeleteI write a clean first three chapter...then do a fast first draft of the rest of the story on my AlphaSmart. The rewrites/editing take about a month.
I admire your ability to use an AlphaSmart. I don't think I could do it! My mind wouldn't let go and just let things flow...or maybe it would if I could ever get used to the idea...I think I will stick with what I know!
DeleteCongrats on completing your story! Actually I'm working on editing one of my books myself, and unfortunately the date that I want to publish it is coming upon me far too quickly. And also unfortunately I still have 120k still to edit so... yeah. I need to get editing. It was interesting reading about your editing process. I may need to implement some of these things because basically me editing a novel consists of me wading into the choppy waters blindly, realizing that it is in over my head, nearly drowning, and then clawing my way to shore, getting sucked out in a riptide and ending up in a completely different sea where I eventually find an island to settle down on even if it is completely different than the original place I left.
ReplyDeleteWhat an apt description of editing! If you still have 120K to go, that must be a very long epic tale you've written! Congrats!!!
DeleteNicki, that sounds a little like how I edit. I've learned that I need to make several planned passes looking for particular things. Like pass 1 will be a fresh read looking for overall story/plot problems. So I try to fix the big stuff first. Then the second read will look for small problems like typos (if I didn't fix them the first time because it's hard to ignore!), small inconsistencies like hair or eye color or whether a character is acting out of character. Then I'll sometimes do a read-through just for evaluating the romantic arc. I try to go in each read knowing what I'll be looking for.
DeleteErica, it is a very long epic tale. It's 150k words long and getting longer because for another strange thing that happens while I'm editing is that I somehow add 10-30k words to my manuscript? And I don't know where those words come from because it gets bigger even when I don't add scenes?
DeleteMissy, that's pretty much my process too. The first time around I try to patch up the plot holes, and fix the characters who started having a mid-book crises and decided that they would rather act differently than they should, tinker with the action scenes, and develop my world building. Then the second read I'll focus on adding more detail, then I'll read looking at the characters and making certain that they're all still behaving and that there isn't any inconsistencies and that I'm pleased with their romantic arcs. And then I look for those stinking typos that got past me.
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one!
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ReplyDeleteCyber confetti is right up there with cyber glitter. It's the only way they should exist. :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on meeting your deadline. When I hit "the end," I usually let a manuscript sit for a while, sometimes a year. When I come back, my eyes are fresher and I catch more that way. But I also don't have any deadlines to change that right now, either.
Amy, I like to let the ms rest if I can, but sometimes that isn't possible. But even a few days can be useful. :)
DeleteCongratulations, Erica! It sounds like you've got the writing/editing down to a science. I'm not a writer, but I love reading the posts here. It gives me such insight as to what you go through to give us great books to read! Hugs and thanks to you all!
ReplyDeleteWinnie! Yay for readers! :) I'm not sure if I have writing/editing down to a science, but after so many books, I do have my methods...though I tweak them constantly, looking for the one best way to write! :)
DeleteCongratulations Erica on finishing your manuscript! I hope you managed to get your final read done. :) Hmm...I would eat chocolate typing THE END. lol Or go for a fancy dinner with hubby. (Lee-Ann B)
ReplyDelete